Lavender Fit and Flare Midi Skirt With A Pink Brooks Brothers Shirt, Ann Taylor Cardigan, and Chanel Quilted Caviar Bag

I like pink and lavender, but for some reason I had never thought to wear them together, color blocked.  That is, until I saw a re-run of the 2004, final episode of “Sex In The City” six months ago.

In this episode there is a scene that takes place in the Chanel boutique in New York that features Charlotte York, my favorite character on the show.  I can’t remember exactly now, but in this scene I think she’s wearing a wool lavender coat with a pink ensemble underneath–or vice versa; please forgive!  The point is, her outfit was separates in solid blocks of those two colors, a technique called color blocking.  It can be done several different ways.  If you pair items in bold, complementary colors, opposites on the color wheel, the look can be dramatic, even jarring.  A more subtle effect is combining analogous colors, colors next to each other on the color wheel. This creates a softer, more gentle transition from color to color.  It’s more monochromatic, and it’s what Charlotte did.

She also was carrying a pink Chanel quilted caviar leather bag with a leather and gold shoulder chain.  I noticed the bag, because it was the exact–and only–Chanel bag I own.  I love everything about Charlotte York (read why here), and I really loved this outfit.  The effect was soothing and very feminine.

So recently, I tried out a late-summer version of this Charlotte combination using separates I’ve owned for years (although, my version isn’t monochromatic, like hers).  I paired a lavender fit and flare skirt with a pink sleeveless button-up shirt, pink sweater over my shoulders, and the Chanel bag.  I shot it on a Sunday morning in front of Brambles English Tea Room (which was closed that day).  Brambles is tucked into a pretty courtyard off Fifth Avenue South in Naples, Florida.

Although I know I’ll never be Charlotte–and on this day the wind storm didn’t help much either–I think the outfit looks pretty cute. ~Janis Lyn Johnson

Skirt: Battibalend (Flared Crepe Skirt In Pink At Talbots ; Pencil Skirt In Pink Or Pastel Blue at Talbots / Shirt: Brooks Brothers (Sleeveless Pastel Blue Here; Long Sleeve in Pastel Blue or Pink Here) / Cardigan: Ann Taylor (3/4 Sleeve And Cropped Here / Shoes: Lilly Pulitzer (Similar Idea In A Sandal-Wedge Splurge At Nordstrom) / Bag: Chanel Customer Service.